


Death and The Maiden

by LadyBee



Category: A Song of Ice and Fire - George R. R. Martin
Genre: Alternate Universe - Horror, Death, F/M, Ghosts, Halloween, Halloween Challenge, Morbid, Not a Love Story, Spooky, Supernatural Elements, Witches
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-30
Updated: 2018-10-30
Packaged: 2019-08-09 14:47:24
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,458
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16451915
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LadyBee/pseuds/LadyBee
Summary: His face was handsome and yet ordinary enough to pass by in a crowd without being noticed. Dark wavy hair that reminded her of a fallen angel; a strong jawline; pale face and eyes as gray as the sky that announces the rain. Nothing in him said “danger” and yet, just like the devil himself, Death wasn’t always meant to be ugly and terrifying. No...Sometimes Death could be the most desirable and wonderful thing.“You are not what I expected.” Arya confessed.“I’m sure you were ready to see a dreadful monster, but I do enjoy surprising you from time to time.”





	Death and The Maiden

**Author's Note:**

  * For [earndarby](https://archiveofourown.org/users/earndarby/gifts).



> This work is dedicated to @myteafine in Tumblr to celebrate Halloween. I hope you'll like it and Happy Halloween for you all.

She was walking down the street with her groceries. The air was chilly as she passed by all those houses decorated with ghosts, vampires, witches and several pumpkins with funny faces. Arya wasn’t much fond of Halloweens, but that day was as inevitable as the consequences of it.

Kids passed her buy dressed in their costumes with their bags full of candies. She smiled at them. If only they knew what that night really was, they wouldn’t be laughing at all.

The night in which the line between this world and the other got blurred. For ordinary people it was just an opportunity to be silly and eat sweets. To someone like her it was a bit more complicated.

Being a seer was bad enough, but Arya had long ago committed to a dangerous contract. Every Halloween was a remind of it. Every Halloween she payed the price.

Every spell has its price. Every ritual demanded payment and to deal with Death was usually the most expensive event any witch could get.

Once she arrived at her house she turned on all the lights until she reached the kitchen to have the fruits and vegetables washed. Arya tried to make of Halloween something uneventful every year, but it was never up to her, was it?

“We are what we are, my dear.” Arya heard the familiar voice at her back and she turned to face the man.

It had started.

Her father stood there, as clear and palpable as any human being or at least he was to her. Those were the moments she hated. Not because she didn’t want to talk to him or something like that. It was just that once she woke up in the next morning Eddard Stark wouldn’t be there and once more Arya would question if her decision had been a good one or if it only meant pain for both her and her father.

“I wish I were normal.” She said before pulling a chair to seat in front of him after putting the groceries aside. “How are you?”

“Worried as always.” His voice was gentle and as most spirits that roamed the world her father worried about the leaving, especially her. “You shouldn’t be on your own. Not today.”

“As if I ever managed to be completely alone during All Hollows Evening.” She teased, but Arya knew all to well what her father was saying. “I would like if you visited more often and not only during these nights.”

“You know the terms. You agreed with them, so I’ll resign to your decision and respect the agreement.” His voice was full of concern.

“I just wanted you back. I miss you so much, dad.” She said with tears in her eyes.

“I’m never too far. I watch over your even from a distance and you know it. You are never alone.” He insisted.

“There’s no fun in this. I can’t tell you anything new when you show up. You already know everything.” She tried to make it sound like a joke.

“Well...It gives me the chance to say that I am very proud of you.” His voice was light a he walked her way. As usual he tried to touch her, but it was useless. Every time he did it his hand trespassed her and both of them got frustrated. “I think I must go now. I believe your mother will come soon.”

Arya couldn’t say another word to him. The image of her father suddenly faded and she was once more alone in her house.

Not truly alone, she knew. He was there, hidden in some shadowy corner observing her moves and if she would or not play by the rules. The problem of making a pact is that you have to follow the terms, no matter how twisted they were.

Arya went upstairs for a bath. She lit cinnamon candles before getting into the bathtub. The water was perfumed with wildflowers’ essence. If she was to receive guests, she would at least make herself presentable.

“You shouldn’t bother.” This time the voice was feminine. Her mother was sitting on a small bench Arya kept inside the bathroom, looking back at her daughter with concern and disapproval. “It’s too high a price and it’s not as if perfume made things any different to us or to him.”

“It was my decision to make. I don’t regret it, mother.” Arya said with a hint of melancholy. “It’s not bad, you know. It’s generally just a bit of a chat.”

“I should have taught you better than this.” Cat insisted. “We don’t deal with this sort of gambling. You know that.”

“You couldn’t expect that I would lose you and father and do nothing about it.” Arya replied bitterly. “This is the only time of the year that I can actually talk with the spirits I care about. I don’t want to spend the little time we have arguing over the past. It’s done and I would do it all over again.”

“You did yourself or us no favor. We should be free to rest, Arya. You should live your life free from this sort of curse too.”

“I was never free.” Arya said before getting out of the tub and getting a towel. “I served others enough. I played the cards, looked into people’s future to help them. I made potions and I helped every lost soul that came to me to send a message or just get a bit of direction. It was unfair not being able to talk to you or father.”

“You no longer needed us, Arya. Our time here was over and you should have moved on with your life and not hold to the past as you did and not at such a price.”

“Will you really lecture me tonight? I would like to just have a pleasant moment with you. Ask for your opinion on something meaningless just to listen to your wise voice.”

“The wisdom you insist on ignoring. I curse him and his twisted cruelty.” Cat spat.

“You know he can hear you, don’t you? He usually calls you charming whenever you are in such a mood.” Arya warned.

“I don’t answer to him. He might have taken me away and every now and them bring me back to see you, but he has no power over my soul. I can’t say the same about you.” Catelyn said in a heartbroken tone. “I didn’t raise my daughter to be his concubine.”

“You raised me as witch, mother. I just followed your lessons and used my gifts for a purpose that suited me.” Her answer came out harsh and cold.

“I didn’t teach you those arts so you could make bargains such as this.” Cat rose from the seat and walked towards her daughter.

“I did it out of love.” Arya tried to justify her actions.

“No. You did it out of selfishness.” Catelyn’s ghost insisted. “We won’t rest and neither will you. You took the offer without even knowing the price to be paid.”

“He is not the devil, you know?” Arya turned to face Cat one last time.

“He is just as dangerous. No matter what...Don’t let him seduce you.” Her mother insisted with concerned eye.

Seduce her? That sounded a bit ridiculous, but she didn’t bother to say that much. Her mother vanished like smoke as Arya walked out of the bathroom.

Whenever he came to visit her, that grim and dark figure would keep his face hidden. Arya supposed it was a male entity because of the low a soft voice, but she also knew that he was likely capable of changing his form if needed.

When Arya was a teenager he first appeared to her as a mighty grim reaper. Long shadowy cloak, his face covered with a hood and reaping hook. That was the idea she had of Death anyway. It was easy to process even if she was familiar with the concepts of the underworld and its mysteries.

Later he chose to never reveal his image fully to her. It was just a shadow in the corner of her room; looking at her and evaluating every move she made. That was the deal, wasn’t it? Arya had sold herself to Death in exchange for a way to talk to her parents.

If Arya looked back at her decision, she would agree that it had been a terrible bargain. She never knew fully what he wanted, but every Halloween he payed her a visit just like her parents. He liked to talk about frivolities, although he seemed to be rather solemn and quiet most of the time. Once she asked Death why he would only visit on Halloween.

“It’s my day off.” He said in an unusual joke. “Tonight is the night that I can afford being negligent with my job. I let them out so they can visit the ones I haven’t taken yet.”

For some reason only her parents had been detained on the other side. Arya had tried to summon them in a night like that, but what answered her call was that ghostly shadow. He had said that they were in peace; resting somewhere good and beautiful. He said they didn’t need to be disturbed and that she should go on with her life. If only Arya had heard the advice.

Arya entered her room wrapped in a towel. She dressed something comfortable and laid on bed with a book in hand. The silence was filled with a familiar presence. He was there somewhere; in the corner of her room, in the shadow of her dresser, in the sound of the wind shaking the branches.

“Were you spying on me?” She asked out loud before putting her book aside. A muffled laugh filled the room and a shiver ran thru her spine.

“I have my own morals. I wouldn’t be so disrespectful.” He answered in his usual pleasant voice without revealing himself to her eyes.

“Liar.” Arya accused. “I know you are fascinated about human anatomy.”

“That much I am.” He agreed with a humorous voice. “Do you prefer if I tell you that I’ve been spying on you since we first met? What good would it make? Nothing changes between us.”

“Until you decide what to do with me.” Arya concluded lazily. “My mother was in a sour mood today.”

“Catelyn is a lovely creature. She loves to paint me in dreadful colors, but I guess we both can agree that I’m not like that.” His voice felt like a long forgotten sad song.

“She said you are as bad as the devil.” Arya smiled lightly at the empty space between her bed and the wall.

“She doesn’t know Lucifer. Charming fellow, as the devil should be, but I’m not half as bad as he is. I’m more of a dutiful creature. I just help humans to come into the other life, nothing more. I do not judge them. I just guard the gates between this world and the next.”

“You almost sound like a harmless creature. I would believe it if I didn’t know better.” Arya answered. “How are you this evening?”

“As delighted as always to have the pleasure of your company. You do make me look forward to these little encounters we have.” There was a charming sense of humor to his tone. “You don’t seem so happy though. What is it that upsets you?”

“Time makes us wiser doesn’t it?” Arya replied sadly. “Maybe I’m finally realizing the extension of my mistakes.”

“You mean your parents?” He asked gently. “They are fine, really.”

“Yet they do not rest in peace.” Arya pointed. “I’m no fool. I might have been naive to believe that a deal with Death would actually bring me some solace, but now this illusion is fading and you still have to tell the price I’ll pay for it.”

“I see you are in a mood for business.” He concluded. “I can give you more time, if you need. There is no hurry. I would come for you soon or later anyway.”

“So this is the price? I’ll die?” She asked curiously.

“Every man must die and every man must serve. I thought you knew that.” He pointed.

“Am I serving?” She questioned skeptically.

“Not yet, but soon.” His voice was warm as if he was truly fond of her.

“Will you show me your face this time?” That was a question that kept bothering her.

“Do you want me to? Aren’t you afraid of me?” Arya couldn’t tell if he was mocking her or not, but he did seem to be in a good mood that night.

“Not anymore.” She said.

There was silence for a while and the shadows in her room soon seemed to gather in one single point; slowly taking shape and density in the form of a man.

The air was suddenly cold as Arya expected him to come to her. Tall, slender and gracious in his movements, but his face still undefined. Once he got closer to her, Arya could finally see.

His face was handsome and yet ordinary enough to pass by in a crowd without being noticed. Dark wavy hair that reminded her of a fallen angel; a strong jawline; pale face and eyes as gray as the sky that announces the rain. Nothing in him said “danger” and yet, just like the devil himself, Death wasn’t always meant to be ugly and terrifying. No...Sometimes Death could be the most desirable and wonderful thing.

“You are not what I expected.” Arya confessed.

“I’m sure you were ready to see a dreadful monster, but I do enjoy surprising you from time to time.” His smile was indulgent and yet warm as if he really enjoyed those moments with her.

“Is this how you really look like?” Arya asked skeptically.

“Does it matter? I don’t like scarring people. When I come for someone I rather look like a friend or someone they love.”

“Will you look like this when my time comes?” That was a question she shouldn’t ask. It was probably too tempting.

“I will look like whatever you want me to look like.” He said.

“Do you have a name other than Death? Something I can call you and not sound so...Morbid?”

“You can call me something simple and ordinary. Like...Jon. I guess Jon is a very ordinary name. It suits me well.”

“Jon then...” She agreed. “Will you let me know what do you want in return for your favor?”

He smirked at her for a moment. For some reason her old friend didn’t seem inclined to share that bit of information with her.

“Is it too difficult to believe that I enjoy spending time with you?” He questioned. “Couldn’t it be enough for me to have it once a year and consider the debt paid?”

“Honestly? No.” Arya answered bluntly. “I know how it works. All these pacts and deals. You might not be the devil but you are just as greedy.”

“Maybe I am.” A shadow crossed his face and gave her goose bumps. “Would you come with me?”

“So soon?” Her voice was a whisper, but he didn’t answer that question.

Death, or Jon as he wanted to be called, offered her a his hand and Arya accepted. She expected it to feel cold and bony, but it felt quite the opposite. He felt warm and very much alive as any young man she knew.

In a blink of an eye they were no longer in her room. They were walking down the street that was full with children running around in costumes and completely sugar high at that point. His face was relaxed as they walked. He seemed please with that ordinary moment.

“Can they see us?” Arya asked.

“No. Unless they have your kind of gift.” He answered before waving to another person walking on the other side of the street. A ghost like the ones Arya could see so often.

“Why did you bring me here?” Arya’s curiosity was still thirty for answers.

“Because I like seeing them. I like it that this day, so morbid by definition, became so joyful. In some countries they have colorful skulls painted everywhere. People drink and laugh; children celebrate dressed in funny costumes...If Death can afford being happy, that’s the occasion.”

“I hate Halloween.” Arya pointed.

“Only because you never accepted your gifts truly.” Jon turned to face her for a second. “You still want to be normal when you never could. You and I...We are connected. Refuse it as much as you like. In the end I’ll still be there until it’s your time to come with me.”

“I’m not the only seer in the world. Why don’t you bother someone else?”

“Because no other seer would be tempted to make a deal with me. You broke the rules, Arya. For your fears and selfish reasons, you broke them and damned be the balance.”

“What happens now?” She questioned and suddenly the street blurred all around them and everything was dark.

Jon still smiled at her gently. When everything was reordered, Arya noticed that they were at the city’s cemetery.

He conducted her through the marble graves and tombs covered in orange and brown lief. Arya had been there years ago to bury her parents and later to summon Death to make a bargain.

Jon stopped in front of a grave and looked do the name carved on the marble board. _“Here lies Arya Stark. She served and lived.”_

“Am I dead?” She asked out of shock as she covered her mouth.

“Not yet, but what difference would it make?” Jon questioned. “Since Ned and Cat came with me you haven’t lived. You are detached from the world around you. No family, no friends...No one knows your real name and who you are but me. I never asked you to do that, but you buried yourself alive and I think it to be rather disrespectful to me. I don’t like others doing my job.”

“You have only yourself to blame for it. You took them away.” Arya accused.

“I did. It’s my job to do so regardless to their names, but you couldn’t accept it to be natural so here I am.” He said softly. “Oh Arya...You are mine not because of your mortality but because you gave me your own life to do as I please. I could have taken you away long ago, but I didn’t. I came to you every years instead in hope that you would see how lenient I am with you. Your time should have ended long ago. It ended in a way, but not by my will. It was you and now we play this strange game in which I give you life and you throw it away as if you had this power. What am I to do with you?”

“Put an end to my time already?” Arya suggested with resignation. “As you said...It’s not as if I was truly alive anyway.”

“Or I could simply forget you and you would live forever, but I can’t.” His hand touched her face kindly and the wind blew furiously around them.

Once more everything around them was blurry and Arya could hear distantly a sad opera. The sound got louder as the images recovered definition.

This time they were in an empty theater. One of those grand places meant for Kings and Queens to enjoy the music. An old gramophone played and even the notes in the music seemed lonely inside that beautiful and decadent place.

“Death and the Maiden by Schubert. Lovely, isn’t it?” Jon asked rhetorically. “Pass me by! Oh pass me by...The Maiden says as she argues that she is still young.” He seemed to think the song to be humorous. “As if I only took the old ones. It is Death’s part what I truly like about it. ‘Give me your hand, you beautiful and tender form! I am a friend, and come not to punish. Be of good cheer! I am not fierce; softly shall you sleep in my arms!’...It defines me in such a poetic and seductive way. I’ve never thought of myself to be so and yet mortals do like the idea of me taking a young maiden. There is something lovely about it. The frailty and the beauty of life and how easily I can take it away.”

“Why are you suddenly so poetic? I hope you don’t want me to sing. I’m not a good singer.” At that he muffled a laugh.

“I’ve taken many maidens from this world, but never once had a maiden for myself as the song and all the paintings imply.” He answered as he looked at her intensely. “I do love the softness of their forms and the color of their cheeks before I give them one last kiss but I never once crossed a line.  I am curious though and you are so tempting. You feel so lonely and empty all the time and I can’t help to be sympathetic.  We are one and the same; you and I. ”

J on offered her his hand in a silent invitation. Had he really said that? Was it possible that he wanted to have a woman as if he were a mortal man? That was against the very fiber of the universe and yet a tempting idea.

Arya accepted his hand and instead of taking liberties Jon simply waltzed with her all over the stage. She couldn’t help smiling at him as if she was intoxicated or drunk. Her body felt heavy and flexible as he seemed to do with her whatever he wanted.  _Le Danse Macabre_ ...The Dance of Death.

It felt like she was drowning, as if he was dragging her to the bottom of a deep blue sea. For once Arya didn’t care.

She barely noticed his gentle hands removing her clothes. Arya was already completely naked when the music stopped. He had one hand at her breast as the other pulled her body closer. He kissed her face before taking her earlobe into his mouth. Arya shivered under his touch, but she never tried to stop him. She didn’t want it to stop.

“All those Renaissance paintings of me with a maiden in my arms...” Jon – she would insist on thinking of him as a mortal for once – whispered close to her ear. His hands brushing every inch of her body, eventually grabbing the tender parts of her, feeling the texture and enjoying the feeling of  a feminine living body . “Be of good cheer...I am not fierce;  s oftly shall you sleep in my arms.”

Jon held her in his arms, pressing her back against his body still covered in dark robes. One hand at her throat, another between her legs as his long and slender fingers sank inside her. Arya gasped for air as his fingers played and he kissed her neck.

In the back of her mind Arya could hear her mother’s voice telling her to not be seduced by Death. She ignored as usual while he laid her on the floor.

His body felt real, vigorous and lively on top of her. His mouth smelled of fresh mint. Arya’s hands eventually sneaked under his dark robes, searching for his skin.  Jon stopped her hand before she could touch him and pinned her to the floor before kissing her mouth once more.

Jon’s dark robes covered her body as he laid between her legs. Arya closed her eyes as she felt the sudden intrusion. She bit her bottom lip to contain a small cry of pain.  She could feel him buried inside her and slowly Jon started to move.

The world could have ended and she wouldn’t even notice. There was only the darkness of that decadent theater, his body on top of hers and a pleasure so strong that her conscience seemed to detach from her body as he filled her. _L_ _a_ _petite mor_ _t._

Time and space no longer existed. There was only emptiness and silence. Slowly Arya opened here eyes to look at her lover.

She touched his face fondly. How odd it was to see tenderness in Death’s eyes. Arya could almost forget who he was, choosing to believe him to be as human as her.

E xcept he wasn’t human and as the feeble light inside that theater flickered and moved across his face the handsome features of a young man faded...Only enough for her to see the skull  behind the illusion.

Dark wholes where they gray eyes were a feel moments ago. No color, no warm and tender flesh; only the paleness of the bare bones of a terrifying skull. Her hands searched inside his dark vests for a trace of muscles only to find emptiness and bones forming a skeleton laying between her legs.

For a moment she wanted to scream and pull him away even though she still felt that unfamiliar warmth inside her  lower abdomen . Was it too late to change things? Was it what he wanted from her?  _His concubine_ , her mother had said. She had truly become it.

“What is it, love? A change of hearts already?” He asked her with a bit of humor. Even if his face was nothing but a skull and there was no expression for her to read, the line of pearl white teeth could only be described as a horrible grin. 

“What have you done?!” She asked out of exasperation.

“You wanted to know the price of the bargain.”  For a moment the illusion was restored and he looked like a man again.  As he smiled his handsome face was no longer handsome but terrifying. “ Well...Neither life nor death for you, my dearest.”

“What do you mean?” She asked as panic took over her.

“See for yourself.” With a snap of his fingers everything went black around them and only a giant mirror stood in the middle of nowhere.

Arya looked at it hoping to see her own reflection and the image of a young man behind her but the only thing in the mirror was the reflection of two skeletons looking at it.

She felt his arms embracing her from behind. The skeleton did the same inside the mirror.

“We make a lovely pair, don’t you think?” His teeth touched the bones of her neck as if he was kissing it. “We are one and the same; you and I. Another one of many faces...Serving for eternity. My company and my mate.”

 

**Author's Note:**

> Reviews are highly appreciated.


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